“The Super Bowl is XXVI days away and we are going to cover it the way it’s never been covered before,” Gil Schwartz, CBS Corporation executive vice president and chief communications officer, said to kickoff CBS Super Bowl Media day on the set of NFL Today at the CBS Broadcast Center.
Then the lights dimmed and suddenly it became throwback Tuesday as grainy images of Super Bowls past filled Studio 43 on the West Side of Manhattan.
It felt more like a pep rally, than a media day as Queen’s We Will Rock You narrated great Super Bowl moments like Al Davis’ Just Win Baby, a bloody nosed Tom Brady and a jovial Ray Lewis surrounded by a sea of confetti. Even images of a baby-faced Phil Simms in New York Giants blue flashed across the screen.
“I saw myself on that tape once as a player and twice as an announcer,” Simms said. “What really stuck out was:my God have I gained weight,” Simms said to get the audience slapping their knees.
CBS CEO Leslie Moonves added, “It’s the biggest day of the year for this entire corporation, this entire corporation is getting behind this event like it’s never been done before.”
And he isn’t kidding. The studio looked like a who’s who of media and sports celebrities. New CBS radio hosts Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney shared hair tips. Kevin Frazier joked about how his idles Greg Gumbel and James Brown will probably be around for Super Bowl C (100). Jim Rome brought a bit of that cool “jungle” swag while Brown posed for photos with yours truly. (Normally I don’t do that but when J.B. asks, you respond)
Then the news guys, Charlie Rose and Scott Pelley, came in to class up the joint while coach Bill Cowher and Simms discussed X's and O's over a cup of coffee in the control room.
This dream team of talent wasn’t assembled just to catch up on the most recent American Idol episode. They’re here to give you a sneak peek of what it will be like at Super Bowl XLVII when CBS takes over the historic Jackson Square in New Orleans.
From news to entertainment to sports, the entire CBS family will be present in Jackson Square to deliver 360-degree weeklong coverage of America’s most watched event. That means the ladies from The Talk will be talking first downs with Nantz while Gumbel samples beignets from nearby famous Café du Monde with Rose of CBS This Morning.
Frazier of OMG Insider will sit down with Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother, to discuss her daughter’s historic national anthem performance at Super Bowl XXV and he’ll have the scoop on the highly anticipated halftime show starring Beyonce.
Also Face The Nation moderator Bob Schieffer will be on hand and he can talk football as easily as he can discuss the fiscal cliff, Moonves mentioned.
Schieffer? Football? I'm sure he gets crazy on Sundays.
Then there's the high-tech "Heyeper Zoom" camera and six mosiac camera views for replays that will make sure the call is right.
With all the shows, technology and talent present during the week in New Orleans, we can’t forget what we’re really here for. It’s all about what happens on Sunday between the lines in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“You have to enjoy the week but at the same time you have to keep the focus on the game,” Cowher said.
"People don’t ask how many times you played in it. They ask how many times you won it. When you walk on that field you have a chance to be a part of history and we have a chance to tell this story.”
Story starts Jan. 27. See you in New Orleans.
